Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-10-06
Story of a Lost Watch.

.'For some time" said the doctor to
a Philadelphia Call reporter, II have
been attending colored man on Wood
street who is confined to his bed by a
chronic disorder. There was no
| money in the ease, but a true physician
never thinks of that, and | kept peg
ging away at my man until [ got him
on the turn. Then he fell back again,
and / began to think that his mind was
diseased is, that he was brooding
over something, and that plays the
| mischief with medicine. You take the
case of beautiful girl who loses her
hair from. fever. Her recovery is re-
| tarded for weeks if you give her a
looking-glass.
''Well, | kept quiet and made myself
friendly, and one day the secret came
out. He waited until he was alone
| with me, and then he asked me to go
| to a closet in the room and hunt up a
black stocking. did so and handed
it to him, and he took therefrom some
thing that looked like bundle Of rags.
Removing the rags disclosed roll of
paper tied with old Irvine, and inside
was piece of channels, and inside of
thata beautiful gold watch. Ihad been
| watching these proceedings with con-
| siderable interest, and when | saw the
watch jumped at once to the conclu-
| sion that my patient was about to
make restitution for a robbery. /
was mistaken.
''You's away off, boss said he, with
a smile, as he evidently read my
thoughts. i didn't stole that watch;
| found 'um. | picked up that watch
| bout year ago OH the corner of 18th
and Market streets, and want to give
| UNI back before | die The story
looked fshy, but it ali turned out nat
urally enough when | questioned him.
| He found the watch and brought it
| home and told no one about it for fear
| of being robbed. He didn't advertise
it because he had no money to pay for
| the advertisement, and he didn't read
| the papers to see if a reward had been
| offered simply because neither he nor
any of his family could read. So he
| hid the watch in q closet and did moth
! ing atall.
| Il examined the watch and saw that
it was a lady's watch and valuable.
On the inside of the case was engraved
| IL OdIO anu CIc HdulG IOdIau -ndU1lutl
| Shreye Here was q clew. What do
| you want me to do with this?' | asked.
| He replied that | was to find the owner
and return the watch with or without
a reward and he seemed actually CRATE
full as | carried it away.
s'When | returned to my office I
| got out the directory and wrote letter
to every Shreve in the city, about
a half-dozen, detailing the circum-
stances and asking for Sarah Matilda.
The next day / got a letter from a
Shreye telling me that the owner OF
the watch was now the wife of a prom
inent citizeH-never mind his name
| and lived at 18th and Pine. That af,
ternoon I called on the lady, told my
story, and she identified the watch be-
yond question and told how she lost
it in coming from Broad street station.
'sShe was gratifed at its recovery
and surprised when she heard where
| it had been for year, and | am happy
to say that her gratitude did not stop
at words. The next day she called tC
see my patient and lett a liberal pres
! ent behind her, and she mas been 8
| regular caller ever since. The result
is that my man is getting well, and il
looks now as if his modest future was
| assured